The Other Donovan
by Sophia Lilia
Summary: Georgiana Donovan has had a troubled life, helping her brother to keep up with the bills and keep an eye on their drug addicted sister. When the Salvatores come to town can Georgie survive? Or will she fall victim to one of the many supernatural issues that the brothers bring with them?
1. Chapter 1

I sighed as my alarm clock went off for the third time. I knew I had to get up now otherwise my brother would end up dragging me to school. Getting ready quickly, I hurried downstairs only stopping to grab a poptart from kitchen on the way to Matt's beat up blue truck. My brother was already waiting in the driver's seat.

"We're gonna be late."

"No, we're not," I smiled. "Besides, it's only the first day." Matt just sighed and pulled out of the driveway.

When we got to school the first person I saw was Caroline Forbes, since she practically ambushed me in a hug in front of my locker.

"Georgiana!"

"Hey, Care," I said, once I'd gotten my breath back.

"How are you? I missed you!"

I chuckled at my best friend's babbling. "Caroline, you just saw me a week ago."

"Yeah, but I haven't seen you since we got back from cheer camp," she whined.

I giggled. "Hey, we should find the others."

"Yes! I haven't seen much of Elena since the funeral, you know? I worry about her."

"Care, her parents died. She deserves some time to grieve."

"I know, I just – Elena!" Caroline rushed over to embrace the brunette in a tight hug. "Oh, my God! How are you? Oh, it's so great to see you." She turned to Bonnie. "How is she? Is she good?"

Elena looked as though she wanted roll her eyes. I didn't blame her, I loved Caroline but she was a bit much sometimes. "I'm right here, and I'm fine. Thank you."

"Really?" I asked gently.

"Yes. Much better."

I smiled as Care pulled her in for another hug. "So, I'll see you guys later?"

"Okay, bye!" Bonnie called after her as she walked off. We all knew she was just going to seek out any new gossip for the start of the year.

"No comment," Elena sighed and I laughed again.

"Hey, it's Caroline," I said. "She's very obnoxious about it, but she does care."

"I know," Elena smiled. "How've you been?"

"You mean how's Matt?" I asked knowingly and she looked away. "Hey, he's fine. He just needs some time to accept it." Elena had dumped Matt just before the summer break, after her parents died in the car crash that she survived. I didn't blame her for that either; she had been traumatised, suffered a massive loss. She deserved time to herself.

We passed the main office and Bonnie stopped us. "Hold up. Who is this?"

"All I see is back," Elena said.

"It's a hot back," I joked and they laughed. "Looks mysterious."

"I'm sensing Seattle, and he plays the guitar," Bonnie predicted.

"You're really gonna run this whole psychic thing into the ground, huh?" Elena asked. I frowned, "What psychic thing?"

Bonnie sighed. "My grams keeps telling me I'm psychic. I'm not sure I believe her but I figured what the hell? Might as well run with it, see if I can predict anything awesome."

"That's cool," I grinned. "I wish I was psychic. Then I could predict all the answers for Tanner's quizzes." They laughed again and Elena looked past Bonnie, distracted.

"I'll be right back." As she walked off I noticed her little brother slipping into the bathroom. I shook my head, determined not to get involved.

" _Please_ be hot. _Please_ be hot." I laughed at Bonnie as she stared at the new guy. As we passed by him on the way to class, accidentally knocked shoulders with him.

"I'm so sorry!"

"It's fine," he said. I looked up at the sound of his deep voice and found myself staring into hazel-green eyes. Bonnie's prayers were answered: he was _hot_.

He smiled at me. "I'm Stefan."

"Georgiana!" I peeked passed Stefan to see Bonnie waving for me to hurry up. I looked back at him. "Nice to meet you, Stefan." I moved passed him and hurried towards Bonnie who was smirking at me.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing," she winked. She tugged me into the classroom and I threw one last glance over my shoulder at Stefan, only to see him talking to Elena. I sighed, I'd have no chance now.

LINE BREAK … LINE BREAK … LINE BREAK

After school I caught up with Elena in the parking lot. "Hey, everyone's going to the Grill later, you in?"

"Uh, sure," she agreed. "But are you sure Matt will be okay with it?"

"Elena, if you're that worried about him why don't you just talk to him?"

"I think he hates me," she said, unsure.

"He does not hate you, Elena!" I insisted. "Seriously, Matt just needs time. He'll come around."

"Really?"

"Really. Besides," I grinned. "What about the new hottie? Don't think I didn't notice him staring at you in History. And English, and French." Elena blushed and my smile widened. "It's okay to move on if you want to, Elena. You deserve happiness."

"Thanks, Georgie," she said. "I'll see you later?"

"Later!" I waved and ran across the lot to hop into Matt's truck.

"How is she?" he asked.

"Oh, no!" I said. "I am not getting involved. If you wanna know then you should just talk to her."

"I can't, she broke up with me."

"She needed time and space, her parents died."

"I know," he murmured. "You meeting Bonnie later?"

"Yeah, we're just gonna meet at the Grill," I told him. "My shift ends at six so everyone's coming then."

"You want dropping straight at work?"

"Sure, thanks."

When I entered the Mystic Grill it was thriving with teenagers who were excited to have finished their first day back to school. I quickly changed my shirt in the bathroom so that I was wearing my uniform shirt. When I got to the bar my sister was waiting with an order.

"Hey, how was school?" she asked.

"Fine, Vick, have you been here long?"

"Nope."

I sighed, knowing that Vicki had been hanging around with her stoner friends all day. She was the oldest yet Matt and I seemed to always be looking out for her. I spent the next few hours mixing drinks and keeping an eye on my sister who was being followed around by Jeremy Gilbert. That boy was like a lost little puppy when it came to my sister. Eventually, I saw Bonnie sitting at one of the tables with my brother. Checking my watch, I noticed that my shift actually ended fifteen minutes ago. I quickly clocked out and changed back into my own clothes. When I came out of the bathroom Elena and Stefan were both standing with Matt, who looked to be introducing himself to the newest member of Mystic Falls. It seemed that the pair had arrived together.

I headed over, "Hey, guys."

"Georgiana, hey, have you met Stefan?" Elena asked.

"Actually, we have met," he said, holding out his hand. I shook it gently.

"We bumped into each other in the hallway before History." I glanced around to see Bonnie now sitting with Caroline who was waving us over so we all wandered to sit with them.

Caroline instantly starting with the questions: "Where you born in Mystic Falls?"

"Mm-hmm… moved when I was still young."

"Parents?" Bonnie was just as interested.

"My parents passed away."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Elena said sympathetically. "Any siblings?"

"None that I talk to." Did that mean that he _did_ have siblings? "I live with my uncle." Zach Salvatore was known for being rather reserved so it wasn't surprising that nobody knew he had a nephew.

"So, Stefan," Care flirted. "If you're new, you won't know about the party tomorrow."

"It's a back to school thing at the falls," I added. Stefan looked at me before his eyes trailed to Elena on my right.

"Are you going?" he asked her.

"Of course she is," Bonnie answered and Elena smiled shyly at Stefan, who seemed intrigued with her.

Yeah, I definitely had no chance with him.


	2. Attack at the Falls

When Matt and I arrived at the party at the falls, Matt immediately ditched me to hang out with Tyler. I was grabbing a drink when Bonnie came up behind me, grabbing me in a tight hug.

I giggled, "Bon, how much have you to drink?"

"I don't know!" she laughed. "Have you seen Elena?"

"Not yet, I just got here." I turned in a quick circle. "She's over there," I pointed. Bonnie grabbed my hand and dragged me over to Elena. We soon got on to the topic of Stefan Salvatore.

"Just admit it, Elena," Bonnie insisted.

"Okay, so he's a _little_ pretty."

I laughed at Elena's confession. "A little? He's a lot pretty." Elena nudged me gently and we giggled again. "He has that romance novel stare."

"So, where is he?" asked Bonnie.

"I don't know," Elena shrugged. "You tell me, you're the psychic one."

"Right, I forgot. Okay, so give me a sec, Grams says I have to concentrate."

"Wait," I said. "You need a crystal ball!" I took Elena's empty beer bottle and handed to Bonnie, who gasped and withdrew her hand like she'd been burned. "What?"

"It was weird," she breathed. "When I touched the bottle, I saw a crow."

"A crow?" I asked, confused. I glanced at Elena who looked as bewildered as I felt.

"There was fog, a man." Bonnie shook her head as if coming out of some sort of trance. "I'm drunk, it's the drinking. There's nothing psychic about it! I'm gonna get a refill." She shrugged passed us.

"What was that about?" My eyes met Elena's and she shook her head at me. Then she looked passed me and I turned, jumping a little. Stefan was stood right behind me.

"Hi."

"Hi," I said.

"Hi Stefan," Elena added.

"You're upset about something?" he asked her.

"Oh, uh, no," she stuttered. "It's- it's just Bonnie. She's… you know what? Never mind. You're here."

"I'm here."

"Okay…" I said, feeling seriously awkward. "I'm just gonna go." Neither of them paid attention to me as I left them to it. I wandered the party for a while, growing bored when I couldn't find any of my friends, until I suddenly knocked into Caroline.

"Whoa, Care, you okay?"

"I'm fine!" she snapped.

"You sure? You seem a little mad about something."

Caroline sighed. "I just ran into Stefan."

"I thought you liked Stefan?" I frowned. "June wedding, remember?"

"Looks like it's going to be _Elena's_ June wedding." Caroline leaned against the wooden barrier near the water. "Why do all the good ones always go for her?"

"Caroline," I sighed. "You'll find somebody. I promise." I wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Until then, you always have me."

Caroline smiled and leaned her head on my shoulder. "I love you, Georgie."

"I love you too, Care."

"HELP! SOMEBODY HELP!"

My head snapped up and grabbed Caroline's head as I ran towards the screaming. A crowd had gathered around somebody.

"Vicki, what the hell? Somebody call an ambulance!" I frowned as I heard my twin's panicked voice, shoving through the crowd of drunken teenagers. When I finally made it to the middle of the group I saw what had caused the panic: my sister was lying on the ground, surrounded by Elena, Jeremy, Tyler and Matt.

"What happened to her?" Tyler asked.

"Oh, my God! Vicki!" I dropped down next to Matt, yanking my jacket off.

"It's her neck, something bit her!" Elena gasped. "She's losing a lot of blood."

"Here," I shoved my jacket at Matt who was closer to Vicki's injury. "Put this on her neck."

"Vicki, Vicki, come one, open your eyes," Matt told her. "Look at me, look at me."

"Where the hell is that ambulance?" I snapped at the guy who'd called it. He shot me a dirty look but I didn't care if I lost my temper, my sister was _dying_. Finally, I heard the sirens and I gave a small sigh of relief. The EMTs would only let one of us ride in the ambulance with Vicki so I went with her to the hospital and Matt followed us in his truck.

When Matt caught up to me at the hospital, the doctors had checked Vicki over and admitted her overnight. She'd been bitten by some sort of animal and they wanted to make sure that there would be no infection.

"Hey, why don't you go home?" Matt said. "I can sit with her tonight."

"No, it's okay, Mattie," I sighed tiredly. "I can stay."

"Georgiana, go home," he insisted. "You're exhausted, you can barely stand up. I'll drive you home and come back for the night."

"Are you sure?" I didn't want to leave him on his own. He shouldn't have to look after our pain-in-the-ass sister by himself.

"Yeah, I'm sure." Matt put his hands on my shoulders and steered me out of Vicki's hospital room.

"Okay, okay, I can walk!" I laughed.

After Matt dropped me off at home, I crawled into bed and practically passed out I was so tired.

"Hey! Georgiana, hey!"

I turned to see Elena jogging over. "Hey, Elena."

"How's Vicki?"

"They're keeping her overnight to make sure there's no infection," I told her. "She should be able to come home tomorrow."

"That's good news, right?"

"Yeah."

"Did you get in touch with your mom?" she asked.

"Matt called her, left a message," I sighed. "She's in Virginia Beach with her latest boy-toy so we'll see how long it takes her to come rushing home. _If_ she comes home."

"I'm sure she will," Elena assured me. "I mean, her daughter did just get attacked." I gave her look and she nodded. Elena knew as well as I did that Kelly Donovan was not exactly Mother of the Year. "Vicki's lucky that she's okay."

"Yeah, and know there's been talk of some missing campers," I replied.

"Did she say what kind of animal attacked her?" my friend asked.

I sighed, uncomfortable. "Matt called me this morning. He said Vicki woke up last night, said the word 'vampire' and passed out again."

"Weird."

"She was probably just drunk, or high." I shook my head. "Anyway, how did it go with Stefan last night?"

"It was great!" Elena smiled. "I didn't think it would be so comfortable but I really felt like I could talk to him, you know?"

"You can talk to me, you know that, right?"

"Yeah, of course," she said. "It's just that you're Matt's sister and I don't wanna hurt him, so I feel a bit awkward discussing any potential new boyfriend."

"I can understand that," I said. "But we were friends before you and Matt started dating."

Elena smiled again. "Thanks, Georgie. I'll see you later?"

"See you."

"Well, I was talking to Grams, and she said the comet is a sign of impending doom," Bonnie said. "The last time it passed over Mystic Falls, there was lots of death. So much blood and carnage, it created a bed of paranormal activity."

The four of us, Bonnie, Caroline, Elena and myself, were sitting outside the grill sorting through flyers for the comet event.

"Yeah, and then you poured Grams another shot and she told you about the aliens." Caroline mocked, before turning to Elena. "So then what?"

"So then nothing."

"You and Stefan talked all night? There was no sloppy first kiss or touchy feely of any kind?"

"Nope, we didn't go there." She sounded disappointed. I would be too, if a guy as hot as Stefan had talked to me all night without making a move.

"Not even a handshake? I mean, Elena, we are your friends. Ok? You are supposed to share the smut!" Caroline whined.

"We just talked for hours." Elena insisted.

"OK, what is with the blockage? Just jump his bones already! Ok, it's easy. Boy likes girl, girl likes boy, sex!"

"Profound, Caroline," I said, but Elena got up from her chair. "Where are you going?"

"Caroline's right." Excuse me, what? "It is easy. If I sit here long enough, I'll end up talking myself out of it instead of doing what I started the day saying what I was going to do."

I laughed as Elena winked at us and headed off to begin her tawdry love affair with sexy Stefan.

I stopped by the hospital after I finished helping Bonnie and Caroline. Matt was sleeping in the chair in the corner of Vicki's room and my sister was finally awake.

"Hey, Vicki, how are you feeling?"

"Georgie," she smiled. "I feel much better now. The nurse said you rode in the ambulance with me?"

"Well, I couldn't drive, I'd been drinking. And I was worried about you, Vic." I told her. "You really scared me."

"I'm sorry," she said. I took her hand and squeezed it gently, "It's okay, Vic, as long as you're alright."

Vicki nodded then looked at Matt who was still fast asleep. She got a mischievous grin in her face before she let go of my hand to grab the jello pot on her tray. She threw it at our brother who startled awake.

"Hey," he murmured. "How are you feeling? You look better, I was worried before. You really had me worried with all that screaming."

"Screaming?" I asked. I hadn't heard any screaming on my way in.

Matt looked at me confused, "When did you get here?"

"About thirty seconds ago."

"Wait," Vicki interrupted. "What are you talking about?"

Matt sat forward. "You don't remember?"

"I feel fine."

"Good, good." he said. "Doctor said you could come home tomorrow. Vick, what attacked you in the woods?"

I watched my sister, who hesitated as though remembering something. "An animal. What else could it have been?" I frowned. Did she not remember telling Matt about a vampire? Not that I believed in vampires.

We were interrupted by Jeremy Gilbert appearing at the door. "Hey. How do you feel?"

"I'm okay," Vicki said.

"I'm… gonna go grab a coffee, you coming Georgie?" Matt stood up awkwardly and I nodded, squeezing Vicki's hand once more before following my brother. "Hey, Jer."

Matt and I walked down to the hospital cafeteria in silence, both of us concerned about why Jeremy was hanging around our sister. Neither of us were oblivious to what was occurring between them and neither of us were particularly happy about it, though there was nothing we could do really.

"I caught Stefan Salvatore coming out of Vic's room earlier."

I choked on the hot sip of coffee I'd just taken. "Excuse me? What was Stefan doing here? He's never even met Vicki."

"I don't know," Matt said. "But I don't think it was anything good."

"Matt, are you sure it's not because of Elena that you think that?" I asked, cautiously. "Maybe he just heard about the attack and came to see how she was. I mean, he was at the party."

"I dunno, Georgiana. "But there's something suspicious about that guy."

I hadn't noticed anything off about Stefan but I had to admit, his visit to my sister was suspicious. Could Stefan have had something to do with Vicki's attack?


	3. The Night of The Comet

" _Are you still coming tonight?"_

"Yes, Care, I will be there. I promise." I shifted the phone so I could put her on speaker while I got ready; I'd needed a shower to get rid of the hospital smell.

" _Good. Could you bring some more candles, just in case?"_

"Can do. You should ask Bonnie too, her Grams stockpiles them."

Caroline giggled and said her goodbyes. After doing my usual winged eyeliner and mascara, I quickly dressed in a pair of dark denim jeans and a purple tank top. I slid my heeled ankle boots and leather jacket on, grabbing my bag and some candles on the way out the door. Ten minutes later I was parked outside the Grill where Caroline was waiting for me.

"Hey!" She pulled me in for a quick hug before taking some of the candles from me. "Thanks. I called Bonnie too, but she didn't pick up."

"Maybe she was driving," I said as we headed over to the Town Square.

Caroline nodded absently as she looked around for the others. After a minute I spotted Bonnie and Elena handing out flyers and candles. "Over there, Care."

"Hey," Caroline greeted as we approached. "We got some candles."

"Hi," said Elena, and then her eyes drifted behind me. "Hey."

Turning, I expected to see Stefan but was pleasantly surprised to see my brother instead.

"Hey," he smiled awkwardly he lit Elena's candle. She lit mine and I turned to light Caroline's only to bump into Stefan.

"Oh, hey Stefan."

"Hello, Georgiana."

"How are you?" I asked as I lit a candle for him. He took it with a small smile.

"I'm well, thanks. You?"

"Yeah, I'm good."

"How's your sister?"

"She's gonna be fine," I said. "She was discharged a couple of hours ago."

"Good." Stefan smiled at me and I blushed, but then his attention moved elsewhere.

"Hey, Stefan!" Elena, of course.

"Well," I spoke. "I'm, uh, just gonna go light some candles. Maybe find Vicki." Neither of them paid much attention and the others had already separated so I awkwardly wandered off. After lighting a few candles and watching the comet with Caroline, I eventually found myself back at the Grill. Everyone seemed to have accumulated there. I had just joined the group when Elena's brother Jeremy hurried over.

"Hey, has anyone seen Vicki?"

"My Vicki?" I asked and he nodded.

"You're her stalker, you tell us," Tyler snapped.

"I can't find her," Jeremy said, worried.

"She probably found somebody else to party with. Sorry, pill pusher, I guess you've been replaced." I glared at Tyler. Jeremy was just worried; he had every right to be when Vicki had only just come out of hospital.

"What's with the pill pusher?" Elena demanded.

"Ask him."

"Are you dealing?"

"She's never gonna go for you," Tyler taunted and I nudged him harshly. He ignored me.

"She already did. Over and over and over again," Jeremy returned.

"Yeah, right," Tyler scoffed.

" You slept with Vicki Donovan?" Caroline laughed. "I mean, Vicki Donovan slept with _you_?"

Tyler rolled his eyes. "There's no way."

"And I didn't even have to force her into it."

" _Excuse me?_ " I gripped Tyler's arm, hard. "What the actual _fuck_ , Lockwood?"

"What the hell is he talking about, Ty?" Matt scowled.

"Nothing, man. Just ignore him, he's a punk." Tyler pulled his arm from grip, rubbing his wrist where my nails had dug in and left marks.

"How about everyone stops arguing and helps us find Vicki?" I stressed and the group immediately jumped at the chance to leave the intense atmosphere.

"We'll check the back," Bonnie said, taking Caroline with her.

"I'll check the Sqaure," Matt told me.

"I'll come with you," Jeremy started but Elena grabbed him first. "Oh, no, no, no. You're coming with me!"

I rolled my eyes and followed after Matt. I did not have time for their sibling drama, I had my own to deal with. I wandered the Town Square searching for my sister and my brother caught my eye as he was walking away from Stefan. I watched as Stefan hesitated before turning as though he'd heard something. I frowned as he looked up, walking down the alley at the side of the Mystic Grill. Curiously, I followed him. I stopped at the mouth of the alley and as I peeked around the corner, I gasped. I leaned back, attempting to catch my breath as I tried process the fact that I had just Stefan somehow _jump_ to roof of building without any sort of run-up or parkour – _nothing_!

"What the fuck?" I whispered.

***TVD***********TVD***************TVD******************TVD***

Later, I was sitting at a table in Grill with Matt and Vicki as he helped our sister fix the bandage on her neck. Stefan had apparently found her walking around.

"Thanks," Matt told him and he nodded, heading for Bonnie and Caroline's table not far away. I kept my face turned away from Stefan; I couldn't look him in the eye after what I had just witnessed. All I could think about was how he could have jumped so high. So far, I had come up with nothing except that maybe I was going crazy.

"I'm going home," Matt's voice brought me out of reverie. "Do either want a ride?"

"Nah, I see Tyler," Vicki said. "He can drive me later. Thanks Mattie." She sauntered off towards Tyler and Matt looked at me.

"Georgie?"

"Hmm? No, I think I'm gonna get a coffee before I head home."

"Okay," Matt said. "Call me if you need me to come and get you?"

"I will. But if Bonnie and Care are still here I might ask one of them to drop me off." Matt nodded and kissed my head before he left. I caught a waiter going passed and ordered a coffee. While I waited, I slumped back into my seat and rested my head in my hands. Tonight's craziness had given me a headache: On second thoughts, maybe coffee was a bad idea.

"Are you okay?"

I raised my head at the sound of deep voice and suddenly found myself looking into ocean blue eyes.

"Uh…" Wow, he was really hot. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks."

The man smirked and sat opposite me. "You sure? You look pretty stressed."

I sighed. "I'm sure. It's just been a crazy night, is all."

"Anything I can help with?"

I smiled. "No, but thanks for asking." I checked my watch. "I actually have to get going, I'm sorry."

"Well here," the guy reached for a napkin, pulling a pen from a passing waitress' apron. She didn't even notice. "This is my number. Call if you need to talk or get away from all the crazy."

"Thanks," I said, warily taking the napkin.

"Don't worry." He smirked again, his eyes twinkling as though something was funny. "I won't bite." I nodded, tucking the napkin into my pocket. "What's your name?"

"Georgiana."

"Beautiful name, Georgiana," he said. "I'm Damon."


	4. Birthday Candles

I sat next to Bonnie in history, vaguely listening to Tanner droning on. Bonnie was doodling random numbers in her book and I lazily glanced around the classroom, noticing that Matt looked just as bored as I did. I smirked.

"World War Two ended in… anyone got anything? Miss Juan?" she shook her head. "1945. Pearl Harbour – Miss Gilbert?"

"Hmm?" I turned slightly to see Elena sit up straight and turn away from Stefan.

"Pearl Harbour?" Tanner asked again.

"Um…"

December 7th, 1941," Stefan interrupted Tanner's power trip.

"Thank you, _Miss Gilbert_."

"Anytime." My eyebrows rose as I brought my hand up to hide my grin at Stefan's sass.

Tanner seemed to take it as a challenge. "Very well," he stated. "The fall of the Berlin Wall."

"1989," Stefan said, not even hesitating. "I'm good with dates, sir."

"Are you?" Tanner scowled. "How good? Keep it to the year: Civil Rights Act?"

"1964."

"John F. Kennedy assassination?"

"1963."

"Martin Luther King?"

"'68."

Tanner was growing frustrated now. "Lincoln?"

"1865."

"Roe vs. Wade?"

"1973."

"Brown vs. Board?"

"1954."

"The battle of Gettysburg?"

"1863."

"Korean war?"

"1950 to 1953."

"Ha!" I jumped at Tanner's smug shout. "It ended in '52."

"Actually, sir," Stefan said, causing Tanner to turn back to him. "It was '53."

"Look it up!" Tanner snapped. "Somebody, quickly!"

"It was 19…53." One of the football guys answered after looking it up on his phone.

Amidst cheers, Tanner's mouth pulled into a tight line and he glared at Stefan before carrying on his lesson.

I was stretching on the field with Bonnie, the other cheerleaders gossiping about Stefan's take-down of Tanner in class. I rolled my eyes as one girl gushed about how handsome Stefan had looked while defeating Tanner's challenge… she wasn't even in that class.

"Oh, my God! You're here!" Bonnie exclaimed from beside me. I looked up from my splits to see Elena approaching, dressed for cheer practice.

"Yep. I Can't be sad-girl forever," she said. "The only way to get things back to the way they were is to do the things that were. Oh, and you're coming to dinner tonight. Both of you," Elena added, looking at me.

"I am?" Bonnie asked at the same time I said, "We are?"

"Mm-hmm," Elena nodded. "The three of us and Stefan. You have to give him a chance, Bonnie."

"Tonight's no good," Bonnie hedged. "Have you seen Caroline? I texted her like a hundred times."

"Don't change the subject, Bonnie Bennett!" Elena scolded. "You're going to be there."

"Fine. I'll go," Bonnie sulked.

"Good." Elena looked at me and I raised my hands.

"Hey, I've got no issue with Stefan," I defended, making her smile. "I'll go. But seriously, where is Caroline?"

"I don't know," Elena frowned. "It's not like her." Caroline had never been late to a cheer session. Ever.

"I'll try her again," Bonnie said, pulling out her phone. She was just about to dial Caroline's number when loud music made all of us look over.

"What the hell?" I murmured as I saw a blue 1969 Chevy Camaro Convertible pull up. I was even more confused over the fact that Caroline leaned over to kiss the driver, whose face was revealed when she hopped out of the car. Damon.

"Oh, my God, that must be the mystery guy from the Grill," Bonnie said.

"Mystery guy?" I asked.

"That's not a mystery guy," Elena added. "That's Damon Salvatore."

"Salvatore, as in Stefan?" Bonnie asked.

"I knew his name was Damon, but I didn't know he was Stefan's brother," I said, as Caroline approached.

"I got the other brother. Hope you don't mind," She taunted to Elena. Caroline flounced off toward the rest of the team. I noticed Elena staring intensely towards the car and I turned, my blue eyes catching Damon's own icy ones. He winked at me before speeding away.

"What was that?" Elena demanded.

"Nothing," I told her. "Don't worry about it."

I joined the Bonnie with the others just as Caroline started practice.

"Sorry I'm late, girls. I, uh, was busy. All right, let's start with the double pike herkey hurdler, what do you say? And 5, 6, 7, 8. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8." Elena was struggling to keep up due to not having practiced at all over the summer. She missed cheer camp this year because she was grieving her family; totally understandable but I was annoyed that she hadn't taken me up on my offer to show her the routines before school started, especially once she decided to continue cheering. Elena lagged behind by about three steps, knocking into me as she turned the wrong way and Caroline definitely noticed. "Elena, sweetie, why don't you just observe today? Okay? Keep going! Do it again from the top! And 5, 6, 7, 8. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8!"

Later that night at Elena's, Bonnie was telling us more about her psychic powers while Elena was sorting through take-out bags from the Mystic Grill.

"You explain it. Last night, I'm watching Nine-o, a commercial break comes on and I'm like, I bet it's that phone commercial. And sure enough, it's that guy and the girl with the bench, he flies to Paris and he flies back. They take a picture."

"Oh, come on," Elena scoffed. "That commercial's on a constant loop.

"Fine. Well, how about this? Today I'm obsessed with numbers, three numbers. I keep seeing 8, 14, and 22. How weird is that?"

"Maybe we should play the lottery," I joked. "Have you talked to your Grams?"

"She's just gonna say it's because I'm a witch. I don't want to be a witch. Do you want to be a witch?" Bonnie complained.

"I don't want to be a witch," agreed Elena.

"I think it might be cool," I said and they looked at me. "What? It would!"

They laughed and Elena started to put the food into bowls. "Putting it a nice bowl isn't fooling anybody," Bonnie told her.

"Okay, serving spoons… Where are the serving spoons?"

Bonnie gestured over, "Middle draw on your left."

Elena opened the draw and pulled out a serving spoon. My eyes narrowed, "You've been in this kitchen a thousand times. Anyone could know it was there."

"Yeah," Bonnie murmured. "Must be it."

Our attention was drawn to door when the bell rang.

"Okay, he's here," Elena fretted. "Don't be nervous. Just be your normal loving selves." She left to answer the door and Bonnie stood.

"Birthday candles."

"What?" I asked.

"Shush, hang on." Bonnie wandered around the kitchen before yanking another draw open, pulling something out. She tossed it to me and I caught it, raising an eyebrow in disbelief. Birthday candles.

"What the hell?"

"I have no idea." Bonnie frowned, shutting the draw.

"Maybe your Grams is right," I said.

"I hope not."

I heard voices coming closer and left the candles on the counter moving to put the last bowl of food on the table for Elena. But as Stefan and Elena came in and we sat down to what would possibly be the most awkward dinner party ever, I couldn't help but think that maybe Sheila Bennet wasn't crazy after all.

 _Could Bonnie really be a witch?_


	5. A Very Awkward Evening

Dinner was awkward.

Elena kept talking, trying to force a conversation between Bonnie and Stefan, while I just sat there enjoying my pasta.

"Did Tanner give you a hard time today?" she asked.

"Well," Stefan said, "He let me on the team, so I must have done something right." I smiled a little at his attempt at humour. Bonnie wasn't so easily amused, however, since she seemed to find her dinner more interesting.

"Bonnie, you should have seen Stefan today. Tyler threw a ball right at him and-"

"Yeah, I heard." I frowned at Bonnie's sharp tone. I understood that she felt a bit awkward around Stefan, but couldn't she at least fake a smile and some manners for Elena?

"Why don't you tell Stefan about your family?" Elena tried.

"Um, divorced. No mom. Live with my dad," she muttered.

"I think she meant the witches, Bon," I said. "Bonnie's family has a lineage of witches," I told Stefan, whose eyebrows rose in interest.

"It's really cool," added Elena.

"'Cool' isn't the word I'd use." Bonnie's attitude was really starting to get on my nerves.

Stefan, however, seemed to take in it his stride, "Well, it's certainly interesting. I'm not too versed, but I do know that there's a history of Celtic druids that migrated here in the eighteen hundreds."

"My family came by way of Salem."

"Really? Salem witches?"

"Yeah."

"I'd say that's pretty cool," said Stefan.

"Really, why?"

"Salem witches are heroic examples of individualism and nonconformity."

"Yeah," Bonnie smiled slightly. "They are."

I grinned as they were finally getting along. Maybe this wasn't such a terrible idea, after all.

"So, Stefan-" I was cut off by the doorbell ringing.

"I wonder who that could be…" Elena left the table to answer the door and I stood to take my empty plate to the sink. I would help Elena wash up later.

"So, Stefan, I hear the June wedding is off?" I joked.

"Aha, well, Caroline is, uh…" He rubbed the back off neck, looking embarrassed.

"A handful?" I offered, taking his empty plate and putting with mine as Bonnie brought hers over to the sink.

"Thanks," Stefan murmured. "And 'a handful' is… one way of putting it, sure."

I grinned. "You'll be fine. Elena will protect you."

Bonnie giggled next to me and we shared a look; we both knew how bitchy Caroline would be over the next couple of weeks. Despite her now being with Damon, we knew Caroline was still smarting over the fact that Stefan had essentially chosen Elena. Elena could definitely hold her own, though.

"I might go see what's taking Elena so long," Bonnie said but, before she could move, Stefan stood.

"Don't worry about it, I'll go."

He followed Elena and I grinned. "They'll be making out in the hall, I bet you."

"Georgie!" Bonnie laughed. "That's terrible."

"Hey, girls!"

Bonnie and I both widened our eyes at the same time. "It's like Beetlejuice," I said. "We said her name too many times."

Bonnie snorted and we turned to smile at Caroline. "Hey, Care."

Damon stepped into the kitchen behind her and I sighed. "I'll put the coffee on, shall I?" I looked to Elena and she nodded, "I'll help."

****TVD****TVD****TVD****TVD****TVD****TVD****TVD****TVD****

I _cannot_ believe that Mr. Tanner let you on the team!" Caroline ranted. We were all sitting around the Gilbert living room, drinking coffee. The atmosphere was even more awkward than the start of dinner. "Tyler must be seething. But good for you, go for it."

"That's what I always tell him," Damon spoke. "You have to engage. You can't just sit there and wait for life to come to you. You have to go get it."

"Yeah, Elena wasn't so lucky today. It's only because you missed summer camp," she said. "God, I don't know how you're ever going to learn the routines.

"We'll work with her," defended Bonnie. "She'll get it."

"You know, you don't seem like the cheerleader type to me, Elena," Damon smirked.

"Oh, it's just because her parents died," Caroline gossiped, waving her hand. "Yeah, I mean, she's totally going through a 'blah' phase. She used to be way more fun. And I say that with complete sensitivity."

"Maybe you shouldn't say it at all," I shot back to her surprise.

"I'm sorry, Elena." Damon had lost the smirk, staring at Elena intently. "I know what it's like to lose both your parents. In fact, Stefan and I have watched almost every single person we've ever cared about die."

"We don't need to get into that right now, Damon," Stefan warned.

"Oh, you know what? You're right, Stef. I'm sorry. The last thing I wanted to do was bring _her_ up."

I rolled my eyes at his obvious shit-stirring. "I'm going to tidy up the kitchen, Elena. We left it quite a mess earlier with your _cooking_ ," I winked.

She smiled. "You don't have to do that, Georgie. I can do it later."

"I don't mind," I said.

"I'll help, then."

Elena followed me into the kitchen and, as we rinsed the dishes to put them in the dishwasher, I asked if she was alright.

"I'm fine," she told me. "Really, Georgie."

"Caroline was way out of line," I told her. "That was so unfair of her, especially in front of Stefan and Damon. I can't believe she put you on the spot like that."

"Well, it _is_ Caroline," Elena shrugged, passing me a plate.

"Exactly," I huffed. "She's supposed to be your friend. I love Caroline to death but, seriously, that girl needs a good slap upside the head sometimes."

Elena giggled. "I know. But, really, don't worry about me. I can deal with Caroline."

"Fine. But if you ever need to talk, I'm here for you."

"Thank you."

We shared a smile before footsteps came from behind us.

"One more." Damon gave Elena a mug, quickly catching it when t slipped through her fingers.

"Nice save," she said.

"I like you," Damon stated. "You know how to laugh. And you make Stefan smile, which is something I haven't seen in a very long time." Maybe he wasn't as awful as I thought.

"Earlier," asked Elena. "Did you mean Katherine?"

"Mm-hmm."

"How did she die?"

"Elena!" I hissed. "You can't just ask that."

"It's fine," Damon waved it off. "In a fire - tragic fire."

"Recently?"

"It seems like it was yesterday."

"I'm sorry," I said softly. Damon's baby blues met my green and he gave a small nod. My phone rang. "Excuse me, guys."

I left them to it, passing Bonnie on my way out. I sat on the porch swing and answered the phone. "Hello?"

" _Gigi?"_ Only Vicki called me that.

"Vic, you okay?"

" _Can you come get me from my shift? Tyler's being an ass."_

"Uh, sure," I said. "Where's Matty?"

" _He didn't answer his phone."_

"Sure, I'll come get you. I'll be there in ten."

" _Thanks!"_

Vicki hung up and I rolled my eyes. "Goodbye to you too, sis." I wondered back inside to see everyone gathered back in the living room. "I have to go, guys. Vicki needs a ride home." I hugged Elena tightly. "Thanks for having me, El."

"No problem," she said. "Thanks for coming." I gave her an extra squeeze and hugged Bonnie and Caroline.

I gave a quick hug to Stefan, "Glad you came, Stefan."

"Me too," he said, patting my shoulder.

I held a hand out to Damon, out of politeness. "Nice to see you, Damon."

Damon took my hand gently, kissing the back of it. I frowned. "Nice to see you too, Georgiana." His smouldering eyes met mine as he smirked and I was quick to pull away.

As I drove to the Mystic Grill to pick up my sister, I couldn't help thinking about what the hell Damon was playing at, kissing my hand. In front of Caroline, no less! His girlfriend!

"What's up with you?" Vicki asked as she got in the car.

"Nothing," I muttered.

But I couldn't stop thinking about the Salvatore brothers and their obvious issues. I had a bad feeling that maybe all of our lives were about to be turned upside down.


	6. Founder's Party

"I can't believe Tanner's dead," my brother sighed. We were sitting at the table, eating cereal.

"I know," I said. "I mean, the guy was a dick but it's still awful."

Matt snorted. "Dick is a bit of an understatement."

I tried to stop the giggles but I couldn't. "We shouldn't laugh really."

"True." Matt and I shared a glance and then grinned. "So, has anyone asked you to the Founder's Party?"

"Nope. I don't think I'm gonna bother this year."

"Look, I know about you and Tyler," Matt told me.

"Mattie, that was last year and besides, it was nothing really," I insisted. "He's with Vicki now."

"Does she know about you two?"

"I don't think so," I sighed, dropping my spoon into my empty bowl. "Not unless he told her."

"Georgie…"

"Matt, just stop. Tyler and I have been over for a year. It's not like we were serious or anything, it was just a few dates."

"Alright, I'll drop it," said Matt. "Are you meeting the girls today?"

"Yeah, I'm heading to the Grill now."

"Need a lift? I'm heading that way anyway."

"Sure, thanks." I stood up, grabbing Matt's bowl as I passed him and dumping or dishes in the sink. I'd wash them later.

Matt dropped me off at the Mystic Grill where I found Caroline and Bonnie already at a table.

"And I'm supposed to care why?" Caroline was bitching.

"He's older-sexy-danger guy," Bonnie said.

"Who's older-sexy-danger guy?" I asked and Bonnie startled in her seat. I laughed sitting next to her.

"Caroline is taking Damon to the Founder's Party as her date," she told me.

"Really?" I raised an eyebrow at my blonde best friend. "Does your mom know?"

"Like I said, I don't care what she thinks," Caroline replied. "I'm taking Damon as my date. And really, Bonnie, 'Older-sexy-danger guy?' Is that an official witch twitter tweet?"

"No more witch jokes, okay? That whole Mr. Tanner prediction thing has me freaked." _Me too_ , I thought.

"Okay," agreed Caroline. "And Damon's not dangerous. You know, he just has a lot of issues with his brother. You know, like major, deep-rooted drama."

"Like..?"

"I'm not really supposed to say anything."

"Caroline Forbes, when have you ever kept a secret in your life?" Bonnie asked.

"Yeah, Care," I said. "Give us the good stuff."

"Okay," she gave in. "But you can't tell Elena."

"Deal."

***TVD***********TVD***************TVD******************TVD***

Later that night I was helping Bonnie and Elena get ready for the Founder's Party.

"Delicate Flower vs Naughty Vixen?" Bonnie held up two options for nail polish.

"Touch call. Can we mix them?" Elena asked, sorting through her makeup.

"Maybe," I said. "Let me see." Bonnie handed them over.

"Look at you, getting all pretty for your date," she said to Elena. "You seem happy-ish."

"I am… ish," Elena sighed. "Tonight's going to be a good night. But don't let that stop you from telling me whatever you wanted to tell me as soon as you walked in the door."

Bonnie and I shared a wary glance. "What if I tell you in the morning? I don't wat to ruin the night."

Elena turned to me. "Georgie, out with it."

I hesitated but she glared at me. "Fine, but it has to go in the vault because Caroline will kill us if it gets back to Damon that we squealed."

"We?" Bonnie asked.

"Fine, me. I'm squealing." I met Elena's eyes and sighed. " _Apparently_ Stefan has a very interesting back story and Bonnie is a bit worried because of it."

"I'm not worried," she said. "It's just… Do you know what happened with his ex-girlfriend Katherine?"

"I know that they both dated her and that's why they have issues."

"Yeah, they both dated her, only she chose Damon," Bonnie told her. "And that drove Stefan mad, so he did horrible things to try and break them up. He manipulated Katherine, he filled her head with all these lies until finally worked and she turned against Damon."

"That sounds like one person's side of the story, meaning _Damon's_."

"I just wanted you to know."

"Anyway, his past relationships are none of my business."

"Unless he's a calculating manipulative liar. That is your business."

"Stefan is none of those things," Elena insisted.

"Yeah? How do you know?"

"Guys," I interrupted. "Look, Bonnie, keep in mind that this is just gossip from Caroline. And, Damon doesn't exactly seem like the more trustworthy of the brothers. We have no reason not to trust Stefan, and even if any of that is true, we have to let Stefan tell Elena the truth when he's ready."

"Thank you, Georgie," Elena said. "See, Bon? Nothing to stress about."

"Fine, fine, I'll stop," she said. "Anyway, Georgie, why aren't you coming to the party?"

"Because I'm not a founding family member," I said. "And I don't have a founding family date this year."

"Oh, yeah, didn't you go with Tyler last year?" Elena asked.

"Yeah, but he's with Vicki this year."

"He's such a creep," muttered Bonnie.

"Yeah, he really kind of is," I agreed.

"Well, why don't you come with us?" Elena suggested.

"You're going with Stefan, remember? I don't want to third-wheel or anything."

"So come as my date," said Bonnie. "I don't have a date and we can have a good time, right?"

I grinned. "We totally would. But I don't have anything to wear."

"Raid my wardrobe," Elena laughed.

"Thanks!" I jumped up and Bonnie helped me pick out a few dresses to try.

"Oh, my God, you should totally wear the green!" she squealed when I came out of Elena's bathroom.

"I agree," said Elena. "It goes great with your blonde hair and I have the perfect heels for it. Actually, you should keep that dress; it looks so much better on you."

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah, keep it."

"Thanks, Lena," I smiled. "Want me to do your hair?"

"Please, you are the best at it," she grinned at me and grabbed her hairbrush.

We were touching up our makeup when Elena's phone rang.

"Hello? Hi, Mrs. Lockwood… What do you mean? It is? Are you sure? 'Cause I saw it. Let me check… Mm-hmm. I will find it and bring it. Okay, bye." She hung up.

"What's wrong?" Bonnie asked, but Elena just stormed out.

"Elena?" I called. Bonnie and I shared a confused look. "Probably Jeremy did something."

Bonnie hummed, fixing her lipstick. "Okay, what do you think?" She turned to me, holding out her arms in a 'ta-da' motion.

"I think I'll have the hottest date there," I winked and we burst out laughing.

***TVD***********TVD***************TVD******************TVD***

I smirked as I passed Elena's Aunt Jenna by the bar; she was definitely holding her own against her skeezy ex-boyfriend, Logan Fell. I was looking for Bonnie who had disappeared to the bathroom… twenty-five minutes ago. I passed Elena on the dance floor with Stefan, though they weren't dancing. I shook my head, turning away as I didn't want to get involved with _that_ particular discussion; Stefan had to come clean to Elena about whatever he was hiding on his own.

Unfortunately, I wasn't looking where I was going and I bumped into someone.

"I'm sorry, I - Oh, hi Damon."

"Hello, Georgiana," Damon smirked. "Drink?" He held out a glass of champagne.

"Oh, thanks, but I'm underage."

"Come on," he insisted. "Nobody will notice if you have just one." He gave me a wink, and I sighed, taking the glass.

"Thanks."

"So, who are you avoiding?" he asked.

I frowned. "I'm not avoiding anyone."

"Then why have you been wondering around for the last half hour with those dart-y eyes?"

"Dart-y eyes?"

"You know, darting around the room, looking for that person you're avoiding so you can, you know, avoid them."

"Damon… You make no sense," I said. "And I'm not avoiding anyone. I'm actually looking for Bonnie."

"Ah, Bon-Bon," he smirked. He smirked a lot. "I think I saw her heading that way." He pointed behind him and then stared off, distracted. I looked behind me to see Elena walking away from Stefan who was staring back at Damon.

"Oookay, I'm going to go and find Bonnie," I told him. "Thanks for the drink."

I walked away from Damon, sipping the champagne as I went. I eventually found Bonnie hiding away in a corner with Elena, eating ice cream.

"This is my fault, I planted doubt. I'm a doubt planter," she was saying as I approached.

"What happened?" I asked. I sat next to Elena and stole her spoonful of ice cream. In return, she stole a sip of my drink.

"Where'd you get this?" she asked.

"Damon."

"Urgh."

"It's nice though."

"It is."

"So, what happened with Stefan? I saw you leave him on the dance floor."

Elena sighed and explained their conversation.

"Aw, Lena, I'm sorry," I said. "This is so our fault. We never should have told you." Bonnie nodded, eating another spoon of ice cream. Elena took her spoon back and used it to stab at the dessert.

"It's not your fault," she told us. "I just- I feel terrible because I said that I wouldn't get in the middle of it and that's exactly what I did. I got all snotty."

I opened my mouth to assure her that it wasn't her fault either, but we were interrupted by Mrs. Lockwood. "Elena, honey, there you are. I noticed the watch still isn't in the collection."

"Oh, um, I'm sorry, Mrs. Lockwood. I, um, I couldn't find it. I guess it's still packed up in my parents stuff somewhere.

"I see." Mrs. Lockwood gave a fake smile. "Well, please let me know if you do find it." She walked away and I huffed.

"That woman is so condescending."

"Wow, Georgie," Bonnie teased. "That was a big word after nearly a full glass of champagne."

"Hey!" I laughed. "I am _not_ that much of a lightweight."

Elena giggled. "Sure seemed like it at Heather Locklear's party last summer when you only had one drink and couldn't keep your hands off Tyler."

"Oh, Tyler, you're _so_ hot! Kiss me! Kiss me!" Bonnie mocked and I reached across a laughing Elena to smack her on the arm, my cheeks bright red.

"Shut up! It's not that funny!" They just laughed harder. I sat back, definitely _not_ pouting. "Bitches."

"Okay, I going to get a drink," Bonnie said, getting up.

"Don't get too wild," I joked.

She stuck her tongue out at me. "Not all of us are rebellious enough to get drunk with Sherriff Forbes around."

"I'm not drunk!" I called after her but she just waved her hand back at me. I turned to Elena. "I have to pee."

She smiled. "I'll come with you. I want to see if I can find Caroline."

"Has her mom seen her with Damon yet?" I asked as we walked.

"I don't know. I just can't believe she actually brought him."

"I know," I said. Elena opened the bathroom door and stopped.

"Hey."

"Hey." I peeked around Elena to see Caroline standing in front of the mirror. "So, how are things with Stefan?"

"Great. Just great." I nudged Elena forward so that I could actually get into the bathroom.

"Really?" Caroline snarked. "Well, my radar must be off, 'cause I was getting all sorts of other vibes."

I frowned as Caroline turned back to the mirror and her scarf moved. "Care…"

"What is that?" Elena moved toward Caroline and lifted the blonde's scarf, revealing a large bite mark on her neck. I gasped, taking a step forward.

"Caroline! What happened?"

"Nothing, okay?" She yanked the scarf back into place.

"That is not nothing!" Elena insisted. "Did somebody hurt you?"

"No, okay, it's nothing. It just… My mom would kill me!"

Elena tugged Care's knitted shawl down, showing another bite on the back of her shoulder. "Did Damon hurt you?"

"No! Of course not! Just leave me alone, okay, Elena?" Caroline snapped.

Elena drew back and stormed out of the bathroom, but I was starting to tear up.

"Caroline… Why didn't you tell me someone was hurting you?"

"Nobody is hurting me!"

"Then what is with all the bite marks?" I asked. "It's not… Is it some sort of, I don't know, a – a fetish or something?"

"Look, it's nothing, okay?" Caroline grabbed her purse off the counter and pushed passed me, leaving the bathroom. I sighed, catching sight of myself in the mirror.

What the hell is wrong with me that I didn't notice that my best friend might be being abused?

I quickly finished up in the bathroom, after all I did still have to pee even with the drama, before leaving to go and find Caroline.

I found her crying outside and locked into a hug with Elena. I joined them, hugging Care from behind and she sobbed harder, turning to wrap her arms around me.

"Caroline, I am so, so sorry!" I cried. "I'm so sorry that this happened and I am so sorry that I never even noticed. I can't believe I've been so selfish!"

"You haven't been selfish, Georgie, I'm sorry if I made you feel that way," she said in my ear.

"You know you can talk to me about anything, Care, really you can."

"I know," she sighed, as we pulled away.

"I'll drive you home," I said. "I've got Matt's keys to his truck." Caroline nodded and we said goodnight to Elena, heading for Matt's truck.

Parking in front of the Forbes house, I cut the engine and turned to my friend. "Do you want me to stay tonight?"

She nodded and slowly climbed out of the truck. I followed her inside and ended up snuggled up together in her room. We both cried a little, but we were fast asleep by the time Sherriff Forbes came home later that night.


End file.
